Injuries, whether unintentional (or accidental), self-inflicted or violence- related, continue to be leading causes of death and morbidity among Virginians across the life-span. Transportation injuries, poisonings, falls, fires and burns, drowning, firearm injuries, self-inflicted injuries and assault are largely responsible for this toll. These injuries are preventable through environmental modification, behavior change, and widespread use of safety devices.
Communities are encouraged to identify community needs and engage in diverse but proven injury prevention practices including: providing age appropriate injury, suicide and violencerelated anticipatory guidance; coordinating education, dissemination and/or installation of safety devices in homes or cars; convening or participating in community coalitions or work groups to identify and rectify hazardous environments; and implementing community or school based education and training about injury prevention, risk and protective behaviors. Following are examples of the types of injury prevention activities communities have participated in:
1) integration of age appropriate injury and violence prevention guidance into prenatal, infant and well child clinic and home visits
2) community pedestrian, bike, or skating safety environmental improvement projects
3) pedestrian safety education programs for young and elderly and to raise driver awareness of children, older adults or impaired pedestrians
4) community bike and skate safety education programs
5) programs that promote use of child safety seats through education and information campaigns, loaner programs, training programs for parents
6) participation in community playground audits and collaboration to improve supervision, replace hazardous equipment and replace concrete, asphalt or other hard surfacing under swings and other play equipment with absorbent surfacing.
7) identification of high risk residences(e.g. young children, elderly, immigrant) and partnership with local fire, EMS to educate and install home safety devices such as smoke alarms, railing, window guards.
8) education, policy, environmental initiatives to address underage alcohol fatalities and injuries (e.g. underage drinking, post prom programs)
9) coordination/involvement in local collaborative teams to implement unintentional injury prevention (e.g. RISK WATCH) , or violence prevention (e.g. Second Step, Als Pals, Get Real About Violence) curricula in schools, childcare or other youth settings
10) community shaken baby prevention or safe sleeping awareness projects
11) safe gun storage education and gun lock distribution projects
12) suicide awareness and intervention training for gatekeepers
13) domestic violence screening and community education projects
14) hosting a Water Safety Day Event in the community http://www.watersafety.org/water_safety_awareness_day_plann.htm
Staff at the Center for Injury and Violence Prevention are available to assist you with data, checklists, guidelines, program & resource recommendations.
Contact Us:
Information Line: 1-800-732-8333
Email: injury@vdh.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 864-7732
